Method of making bifurcated-edge narrow fabrics



METHOD OF MAKING BIF'URCATED EDGE NARROW FABRICS Filed Oct. 24, 1958 Feb. 26, 1963 w. c. ARNOLD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 VA VA VA VA D 9 mp Z m b m m NGE A X vA X VA X X X X X r m; 2 E w. 9 m w w w Inven'for William C. Arnold Awforney Feb. 26, 1963 w. c. ARNOLD METHOD OF MAKING BIFURCATED EDGE NARROW FABRICS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1958 m d ww @Xmw INVENTOR WILLIAM CHARLES ARNOLD United States Patent ()fiiice 3,078,881 Patented Feb. 26, 1963 3,078,881 METHOD OF MAKING BIFURCATED-EDGE NARROW FABRECS William Charles Arnold, Alrewas, Burton-on-Trent, England, assignor to Bonas Bros. Limited, Castle Gresley, near Burton-on-Trent, Stafiordshire, England, a British company Filed Oct. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 773,535 Ciaims priority, application Great Britain Oct. 24, 1957 4 Claims. (Cl. 139-124) This invention concerns narrow fabrics and is particularly concerned with the method of weaving such a fabric having a bifurcated or multi-ply edge using a needleloom.

Bifurcated edge fabrics can, of course, be woven upon shuttle looms but in the past it has been considered unlikely that such a fabric can be woven upon a needleloom in view of the fact that it has been the practice to use two shuttles and there has not in the past, existed a shuttleless loom having a plurality of weft layers.

The object of the present invention is to produce a multi-ply edge fabric using a shuttleless loom.

According to the present invention the method of producing a needleloom fabric having a bifurcated or multiply edge comprises the steps of laying weft loops from at least two weft packages in such a manner that all the Weft loops are common to the body of the fabric whilst each weft loop is individual to one ply only of the edge.

According to a further feature of the invention the method of producing a bifurcated fabric on a needleloom comprises the steps of inserting alternately one of a pair of weft layers into the shed from the flap side of the fabric whilst shedding the warp ends in such a manner that all of the warp ends for one flap and some of the warp ends of the other flap are above or below the Weft layer and thus the weft loop, knitting the edge of the fabric remote from the flaps, removing the weft layer beating up and changing the shed to lock the weft loop into the one flap of the fabric and to ensure that all the warp ends for the said flap and some of the warp ends for the other flap are either above or below a weft loop inserted with the second weft layer, knitting the loop at the edge remote from the flaps, removing the weft layer, beating up, changing the shed and repeating the cycle to weave the fabric.

Preferably, when manufacturing a zip fastener tape the warp ends for weaving the flaps are pre-shrunk, or are not capable of reducing in length with removal of longitudinal tension, whilst the warp ends for the body of the fabric are resilient or unshrunk whereby they will reduce in length when tension is removed, the resultant fabric therefore having a body which is shorter than the flaps whereby on securing zip fastener teeth the extra length of the flaps is taken up and the lengths of the flaps and the body becomes identical.

The invention will be described further, by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a weaving diagram illustrating the composite shedding motion for weaving the two flaps of a bifurcated edge tape, together with one repeat of the weaving diagram.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the weaving diagram for the two flaps separately, in this case no part of the body of the tape is shown.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the weaving, and

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the action of the weft inserter needles and the latch needle.

As can be seen from FIG. 1 there are eighteen warp ends numbered 1 to 18 inclusive from which the two flaps are woven and these eighteen warp ends are divided into two sets of nine warp ends each from which the separ ate flaps are woven. The odd numbered warps are used for weaving the bottom flap and the even numbered warps are used for weaving the top flap. The eighteen warp ends are controlled by four heald frames and the body warp ends are controlled by a further four heald frames.

The weft is supplied from two sources and two weft insertion needles are used, one needle 20 for the lower flap and one needle 21 for the upper flap. Both weft layers pass alternatively through the shed for the body of the fabric and thus there is twice the density of weft in the body compared with either one of the flaps.

When the weft layer for the bottom flap is inserted all the warp ends for the top flap are above the weft together with the warp ends numbered 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17. The Warp ends 3, 7, 11 and 15 are below the weft layer.

After the beat up and change of shed all the nine warp ends of the lower flap are below the weft layer for the top flap together with the warp ends numbered 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18. The remaining even numbered warp ends 4, 8, 12, and 16 are above the weft layer.

Again after beat up the shed changes and again the weft layer for the bottom flap is inserted, in this instance however the warp ends numbered 3, 7, 11 and 15 are above the weft with the warp ends for the top flap whilst ends 1, 5, 9, 13 and 17 are below.

For the final change of shed for a repeat of the pattern the warp ends numbered 4, 8, 12 and 16 are below the Weft layer together with the warp ends of the lower flap whilst warp ends 2, 6, 10, 14 and 18 are above.

As will be appreciated from the weaving plans the combined shedding motion for both flaps is 3 and 1 whilst the resultant weave for each flap is 1 and 1.

As heretofore stated, there are eighteen warp ends for the flap of the fabric which are divided between four heald frames. In the drawing, these heald frames are indicated at 1, 2, 3 and 4. In addition to these four heald frames there are four heald frames for the body, and the latter heald frames are indicated at 5, 6, 7 and 8. In order to indicate the four heald frames above mentioned diagrammatically, further warp ends have been added at the body side of the diagrams.

Referring to the diagram shown in FIG. 5, it will be noted that the two weft-inserting needles 20 and 21 are indicated and that the two weft packages 22 and 23 are also shown. As isherein mentioned, the weft-inserting needles 2t) and 21 must enter their respective shed from the flap side of the fabric if the flaps are to be maintained as separate entities. The knitted edge which prevents unraveling of the fabric is fastened along the edge of the body by means of the latch needle 24 illustrated. Each successive loop of weft is initially positioned in the eye of the latch needle, which reciprocates alongside of the edge of the fabric and each such loop is drawn through the preceding loop. The preceding loop 25 is illustrated in FIG. 5 of the drawing as being around the shank of the latch needle 24 and obviously this loop 2'5 would in fact, be attached to the part of the fabric which has just been formed by the beat-up.

The latch needle in the position shown is about to be moved away from the heald frames to thereby draw the eye through the indicated loop, which letter serves to close the eye by moving the latch thereby insuring that the loop located within the eye is in fact, drawn through the loop through which the latch needle is being moved. When the latch needle is next moved toward the heald frames, the loop which has been trapped in the eye by the latch, initially moves the latch as the needle moves toward the heald frames and having opened the latch, travels up the shank of the needle to take up a position indicated in FIG. 5 of the drawing.

As can be seen from FIG. 1 the body of the fabric is woven 2 and 2 twill.

It will be noted from FIG. 2 that in laying a loop from the first weft package and subsequently laying a loop from the second weft package in a changed shed formed by the warp ends for the body fabric and also in the shed formed by a plurality of warp ends for a different ply, the warp ends for one of the plies are wholly disaligned on one side of the weft loop from the second weft package.

The invention is not restricted to the above details. For example by changing the shedding motion for the flaps a tube-like edge can be woven and of course the body of the fabric may bewoven as a broken twill. It is also possible further to modify the weave by using more than eight heald frames.

In one particular use of the fabric, for example, as a zip fastener tape, the body warp ends would be in the form of stretchable yarn which is capable of shrinking when tension is removed whilst the flap warp ends would be in the form of pre-shrunk yarns. The resultant tape is of the usual radiused type, the flaps being longer than the body. In this instance however when the zip fastener teeth are secured to the tape along one of the flaps the extra length is taken up and the resultant tape is straight and of even length of body and flaps.

It is also within the scope of the invention to weave a tape having three flaps using three weft insertion needles and increasing the number of heald frames.

I claim:

1. The process for producing a needleloom fabric having a multi-ply edge comprising the successive steps of laying a loop from a first weft package with a first weft inserting needle in the shed formed by a plurality of 1ongitudinally resilient (for example unshrunk) warp ends for a body fabric and in the shed formed by a plurality of longitudinally non-resilient (for example pre-shrunk) warp ends for one of said plies, and subsequently laying afurther weft loop from a further weft package in a changed shed formed by said longitudinally resilient warp ends for said body fabric and also in a shed formed by a plurality of longitudinally non-resilient warp ends for a different ply, said warp ends for said one ply being wholly misaligned on one side of said weft loop from said further weft package when said further loop is being inserted and said warp ends for said different ply being wholly misaligned on one side of said weft loop from said first weft package when said first loop is being inserted.

2. The process for producing a needleloom fabric I having a multi-ply edge as set forth in claim 1 in which said resulting fabric initially has a body which is shorter than the plies, said fabric being capable of being used for a zip fastener tape, the extra length of said plies being taken up by the attachment thereto of zip fastener elements to result finally in a fabric having plies of length identical to said body.

3. The process for producing a needleloom fabric having a multi-ply edge comprising the successive steps of laying a loop from a first weft package with a first weft inserting needle in the shed formed by a plurality of longitudinally resilient warp ends for a body fabric shed by four heald frames in a 2 and 2 manner and in the shed formed by a plurality of longitudinally non-resilient warp ends for said plies, said warp ends being shed in a 3 and 1 manner by four further heald frames to cause the warp ends for a first ply to be shed in a l and 1 manner and all the warp ends for a subsequent ply to be misaligned on one side of said weft loop, withdrawing said first weft inserting needle after knitting the end of said loop, changing said shed for said body fabric and said plies to result in a plurality of warp ends for a subsequent ply to be shed in a 1 and 1 manner, said warp ends for said first ply being wholly misaligned on one side of said shed, inserting a subsequent weft loop with a second weft inserting needle, withdrawing said second weft inserting needle after knitting the end of said loop and repeating the steps in sequence.

4. The process for producing a needleloom fabric having a rnulti-ply edge comprising the successive steps of arranging any required number of longitudinally resilient warp ends in four heald frames for 2 and 2 shedding to provide a body fabric, arranging eighteen longitudinally non-resilient warp ends in four additional heald frames for 3 and 1 shedding to provide two plies each of nine warp ends, laying a loop from a first weft package with a first weft inserting needle in the said 2 and 2 shed of said body fabric and in the resulting 1 and 1 shed formed by the first group of nine warp ends forming said first ply, said nine warp ends for said second ply being wholly displaced on one side of said first loop, knitting the end of said loop, withdrawing said first weft inserting needle, changing said 2 and 2 shed of said body fabric and said 3 and 1 shed of said eighteen ply forming warp ends to result in a l and 1 shedding for said nine warp ends of a second ply, inserting a second weft loop with a second weft inserting needle in said so formed shed, said nine warp ends for said first ply being wholly displaced on one side of said second weft loop, knitting the end of said second weft loop, withdrawing said second weft inserting needle and repeating the steps in sequence.

References Cited in the file 0t this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,311,556 Marinsky Feb. 16, 1943 2,333,352 Wintriss Nov. 2, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS 730,184 Great Britain May 18, 1955 

1. THE PROCESS FOR PRODUCING A NEEDLELOOM FABRIC HAVING A MULTI-PLY EDGE COMPRISING THE SUCCESSIVE STEPS OF LAYING A LOOP FROM A FIRST WEFT PACKAGE WITH A FIRST WEFT INSERTING NEEDLE IN THE SHED FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY RESILIENT (FOR EXAMPLE UNSHRUNK) WARP ENDS FOR A BODY FABRIC AND IN THE SHED FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY NON-RESILIENT (FOR EXAMPLE PRE-SHRUNK) WARP ENDS FOR ONE OF SAID PLIES, AND SUBSEQUENTLY LAYING A FURTHER WEFT LOOP FROM A FURTHER WEFT PACKAGE IN A CHANGED SHED FORMED BY SAID LONGITUDINALLY RESILIENT WARP ENDS FOR SAID BODY FABRIC AND ALSO IN A SHED FORMED BY A PLURALITY OF LONGITUDINALLY NON-RESILIENT WARP ENDS FOR A DIFFERENT PLY, SAID WARP ENDS FOR SAID ONE PLY BEING WHOLLY MISALIGNED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID WEFT LOOP FROM SAID FURTHER WEFT PACKAGE WHEN SAID FURTHER LOOP IS BEING INSERTED AND SAID WARP ENDS FOR SAID DIFFERENT PLY BEING WHOLLY MISALIGNED ON ONE SIDE OF SAID WEFT LOOP FROM SAID FIRST WEFT PACKAGE WHEN SAID FIRST LOOP IS BEING INSERTED. 